Who knew how useful different dinosaurs can be in normal life? This is a cute book for all of the young dinosaur lovers out there following the silly things that a dinosaur can help out with. And the illustrations are cute for readers of all ages.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada, NetGalley, and Linda Bailey for giving me access to this eARC for my honest review.

5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Linda Bailey for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book is a hilarious book of the many different uses of a dinosaur. It also talks about all the ways a dinosaur is not necessarily helpful with domestic activities.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a dinosaur loving child. It will have them laughing and wishing for a dinosaur. I will definitely be buying this book for my child.

"If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur" is a charming blend of 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie' with a lovable Dino twist. The storytelling style pays homage to classic children's books while embracing the unique qualities that only a dinosaur could bring to life. The design and artwork are truly captivating, with the text gracefully weaving around the illustrations, creating an immersive reading experience. This book is a wonderful choice for dino enthusiasts.

I absolutely love the imaginative and playful spirit of this book! I can already tell it will become a favorite in my household. It's so enjoyable to envision all the things a dinosaur could help with, along with the fun reminders of what to avoid asking your Dino to do. The ending is particularly heartwarming, inspiring children to explore the wonders of various animals in their lives.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Pub Date Apr 29, 2025
Penguin Random House Canada | Tundra Books
Children's Fiction

I loved this book!!! Well-drawn, with little Easter eggs in the drawings that the adults will catch! This book is charming, silly and will fully engage both child and parent. It’s a great one for reading to a younger child but also a great one when a 4-6 yo starts to read to herself! I can’t say enough about this book…should be an instant classic! Might we see a sequel about the kangaroos?

I’m a sucker for fun illustrations!

My toddler dinosaur loving boy was obsessed with this book. It’s a funny and lighthearted book about what you can do (and not do) with a dinosaur.

This is one of the children’s books that you won’t get bored of when you have to reread it over and over!

Loved the illustrations, loved the story and loved the where's the bat aspect. I think children will be highly entertained.

Gorgeous and fun illustrations. Perfect pacing of the story. Love the idea of useful pets and every kind of dinosaur is unique with specific examples. Well done. Loved this one

This is a fun story telling all the things you can do with a dinosaur. It reminds me of books by Elise Paisley (If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't). Children will enjoy reading about the many things one can do with a dinosaur and will even be given some suggestions on what not to do with a dinosaur. Great for early elementary aged students. Bright, colorful illustrations make this a fun read.

Such a fun new picture book to love! What if you had a dinosaur? What would it be good at, and what would it not be good at? Fun for any Dino lover in your life! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Great book for any dinosaur loving child. The illustrations are cute and goofy and my children loved looking at the pictures. The story takes you through how having a pet dinosaur can help you out by mowing your lawn, being a foot stool, but to never let your dinosaur around food! Very quick and easy read that I would recommend for ages 3-6.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Tundra Books for the advanced reader copy. This book is set to publish on Apr 29, 2025. I will be adding this to my physical book collection.

Full of humorous uses for dinosaurs, this book shows many different species acting as pets and community members. These situations straddled the line of delightfully absurd and a bit of a stretch even with imagination, but the story was fun to read.

I received an electronic ARC from Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley.
How can you go wrong with dinosaurs sharing your home. Young readers will laugh their way through the various ways dinosaurs can be useful. There are all sorts of tasks they can do. The colorful illustrations capture the dinosaur expressions and activities. This is not a new theme but Bailey does well with the concept.

What a fun story! So many great uses for a dinosaur, who knew?! Now if only I had one hanging out in my living room . . . :) I love that it's so nicely set up to be a series as well. My kids will love this.

A hilarious and imaginative read! I appreciate the creative of this story and the artwork throughout. This book is great to grow with my little girl to help spark her imagination. An amazing read for dino lovers!

Ever looked at your pet dinosaur lounging in the backyard and wondered, “Am I making the most of this prehistoric pal?” Well, Linda Bailey and Colin Jack have you covered in If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur—a hilariously imaginative guide to the practical (and not-so-practical) uses of your resident T. rex or Stegosaurus.

From using a dinosaur as a can-opener to employing their sheer bulk for pest control, this book is a laugh-out-loud exploration of all the ridiculous things you could (and probably shouldn’t) do with a giant, toothy companion. The illustrations by Colin Jack are bursting with personality, and his slightly absurd style perfectly complements the book’s tongue-in-cheek humor.

Kids will love the absurdity of a dinosaur fixing a flat tire or being the ultimate snow plow. Meanwhile, adults reading along might secretly wish for a dino-helper to tackle their overdue chores. The writing is delightfully whimsical, the illustrations are vibrant, and the premise is absurdly fun.

If you’re looking for a book that delivers belly laughs, creative problem-solving (albeit with a prehistoric twist), and a reminder that dinosaurs are both awesome and impractical, this is a must-read. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever wondered, “What would life be like if I had a dinosaur to do my laundry?” Spoiler alert: it’s a mess, but it’s worth it.

My 7-year-old enjoyed this book as much as I did. The illustrations are both hilarious and charming at the same time and are a perfect complement to the sparse text. It promotes imagination and could easily be used as a mentor text to kick off a creative writing unit. The placement of the text is unexpected on some pages, making it even more enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

If You Happen to Have.a Dinosaur is as if 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie' met a Dino and had a book baby. It has the same style of the classics but full of things only a Dino could be good at. I love the design and artwork of the book - where the font fits around the illustrations making it an experience. to read. I don't love the font style as it is harder to read but fits with the vibe of the story. I think this is a delightful book for dino lovers ages 2-4.

I thought this book was pretty cute. My child likes dinosaurs which is what drew me to trying this book. I think we would purchase if we saw it in the store.

This is a good, silly book! There are so many dinosaur books out there, but the funny story and the sweet illustrations help it stand out. The ending was a little bit abrupt, but I could see that being a good jumping off point to get your kiddo's imagination going. This book is definitely quick and short enough for a younger reader's attention span.

An adorable picture book about all the ways having a dinosaur around can be useful with to-die-for illustrations. I loved the sketchy, cartoon art style. I think the e-arc may have been missing some pages at the end, though.